John Henry Chamberlin
August 9, 1930- June 3, 2023
John Henry Chamberlin passed away on June 3, 2023 while residing at the Parma Living Center for nearly two years, where he received compassionate care and was treated like family. He became “Pop” to those who provided the best of care to John.
John was born at home August 9, 1930, to Walter Scott Chamberlin and Evangeline Esther Reiner Chamberlin in Molson, Washington.
John was the third child of four; his parents owned and operated a country store and a gas station in Boyds, Washington. Early in life, he had responsibilities at the store due to his father’s physical disability that required John to help with many of the daily duties around the store and business.
John being raised “in the backwoods,” there was lots of latitude of freedom to run with the neighbor boys, who oftentimes found themselves in some trouble.
During his high school years, he participated in football but the sport he loved the most was boxing. He learned to utilize his boxing abilities in all aspects of life. During his summers, he worked clearing trails for the U.S Forest Service. At a very young age, John was taught the importance of working hard and understanding the value of honesty and integrity.
After graduating high school from Kettle Falls, Washington, he worked in various occupations, in the logging industries, and for Bureau of Public Roads; where he helped maintain road ways and drove heavy equipment.
John had been drafted into the Marine Corps, but before reporting for duty, he met Marybelle Singer. She was working in her brother’s café as a waitress and that began their 10-day courtship. They were married in a double ring ceremony, with his older sister Harriet Chamberlin, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on August 22, 1951.
On September 6, 1951, John left his new bride Marybelle to report for active duty in the Marine Corps in San Diego, California, at Camp Pendleton. Eventually his new bride Marybelle moved to California, to be with him, for his two years of military service. After serving in the military, they moved to Oregon to live near family and establish their lives.
They arrived in Nyssa, Oregon, where he was employed at Clover Lawn Dairy, where he made home deliveries, and in doing so, made many new friends.
He was later employed at the Home Dairies in Ontario, Oregon, where he delivered frozen dairy products, to businesses in Ontario, Vale, and the surrounding areas.
He worked various other jobs before ending with Malheur County Housing Authority, that provided housing for the local migrant farm labor, as manager, where he would later retire in the early 1990s. He loved the people that he served and made lifelong friendships with those he came in contact with.
John’s true passion was training and riding horses; he sold many of them to local ranches. On his 25-acre farm in Nyssa, he raised pigs, sheep, cattle, and spent many Saturdays at the local auction buying and selling livestock.
In his later years, John enjoyed sharing his passion of draft horses with others by taking his grandkids and neighbors on wagon rides through the countryside, no matter the occasion, and participated in holiday parades and special events.
John was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where he held various callings and enjoyed serving others.
He is preceded in death by his sweetheart, Marybelle Singer Chamberlin.
He is survived by Susan Chamberlin, Jay Scott Chamberlin (Shelaine), Kurt Dee Chamberlin (Kerin), Daniel John Chamberlin; 11 grandchildren, Heidi Halsey, Heather Walker, Kelsee Hale, Desee Ragsdale, Kinsee McMahon, Kestee Chamberlin, Kandee Davis, Kashlee Mendiola, Macy Chamberlin, Ariel Chamberlin and Karston Chamberlin; and 19 great-grandchildren.
Special thanks to those who took care of our dear father and grandfather: Parma Living Center, Harrison Hospice, and Thomason Funeral Home in Weiser, Idaho.
There will be a Celebration of Life from 6-9 p.m. July 12, 2023, at the Sage Hollow Event Center, 408 Stanton Blvd., Ontario, Oregon 97914. Life Stretch and Stories to be shared at 7:30 p.m. Interment will follow at a later date in Colville, Washington.
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Rev. Michael Emerson Bannon
December 28, 1949- May 27,2023
Rev. Michael Emerson Bannon, 73, of Vale, Oregon, finished his work on earth and walked into the arms of Jesus on May 27, 2023, surrounded by his family at home after an extended illness. He was born Dec. 28, 1949, to Lt. Col. Cornelius Emerson and Alice Lucille (Rodman) Bannon in Tokyo, Japan, where he spent the first three years of his life on a military base.
Michael attended College Park High in Pleasant Hill, California, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in ministry from Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and a bachelor’s in education from Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. Michael began his spiritual journey in the Episcopal Church with his parents learning the Word in Catechism but he began his personal relationship with Jesus as his Savior in a small-town Nazarene Church in Port Orchard, Washington. After reading “God’s Smuggler” by Brother Andrew on the way to college one day, his (and our) future took a sharp turn into the pastoral ministry.
Throughout his life, Michael held a variety of jobs to support his calling into pastoral ministry. He was retired from the U.S. Postal Service. He worked as a school janitor, had a temporary assignment investigating the teen homeless problem in Boise, Idaho, and also worked as a furniture salesman, school bus driver, teacher, substitute teacher, Census counter in 2000, and restaurant owner. Michael’s ministry began in 1980 in church planting and he completed his ministry at Vale Nazarene Church as pastor from 1991 until 2012 when he retired. He was blessed to worship in his last years at Nyssa Nazarene Church and finally with the congregation at Faith, Hope and Love Assembly of God in Vale.
In his free time, in the 1970s, Michael began his Boy Scouting Adventure. He had grown up in the Scouting program as a youth, so he decided to lead a cub scout pack and then added a Scout pack, then eventually graduated into the training of future Scout leaders. He had a wonderful time teaching men how to cook tasty meals in Dutch Oven caste iron pots. In one small community he was active in the Lions Club and has a vest full on badges traded and earned to prove it !
After we moved to Vale, Oregon, Michael fulfilled a young boy’s dream of working on a cattle ranch and playing cowboy under the sage instruction of Paul Martin. He also enjoyed serving on Vale City Council and helped to establish the Vale Food Bank.
Michael is survived by his wife, Sharon, of 49 years and together they raised three daughters, Kim Muffett (Vince), Colleen Pritchard (George), and Heather Morrow (JR), and several grandchildren, Kayla (Josh), Charissa (Nick), Nicholas (Emma), Alexis (Mike), Samuel (Emily), and Emery and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant brother Terry Emerson, a sister Patricia Bannon Garibaldi, and a granddaughter Patience Washe Pritchard. A service celebrating Michael’s life will be held on July 8, at 1 p.m. at the Vale Christian Church, located at ‘A’ Street and Holland St N, Vale, Oregon 97918. Refreshments and fellowship will follow at the church.
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